Thanks all..
Well, maybe it&#39;s worth doing some retro sailing and explore some long board sailing. The dilemme is then if I should go for the pure race boards or the freeride ones like the Hybrids Kona etc..
A guy on our local spot has a Mistral Equipe II. In 6 knots with a 10m sail he&#39;s about the fastest sailing vessel on the water. Chasing sailboats in 5-7 knots is a sport in itselfB). Anyway the free ride longboards claim to be fun in swell in very little wind too. I don&#39;t know if wave sailing with a 350 cm 15kg board is soo much fun though...

10th February 2007 04:21 AM

James

RE: A perfect day, every day..

Hi Per,

It&#39;s tough to have a perfect day every day, but I&#39;ve found some good ways to do it.

1. Always bring a longboard or a hybrid. Sailing them can be a nice, relaxing experience. You won&#39;t ever feel like you wasted the day, even if you don&#39;t plane.

2. Sail with a friend, teach a beginner, or participate in a longboard race. With someone to interact with on the beach and on the water, you won&#39;t care if you aren&#39;t planing. If you get into racing longboards or hybrids, you can always "practice" even if you&#39;re by alone.

3. Stick close to home. With gear that can make the most of light or gusty winds, you can have fun without driving so far. That takes some of the pressure off, i.e. you don&#39;t feel like you HAVE to plane to make it worth the trip. And you can have a session in a shorter amount of time, i.e. after work.

4. Do some exploring. (This seems to contradict #3, but it really doesn&#39;t). With longboards and hybrids you can explore upwind and downwind along coastlines or inland waterways, and maybe find a quiet beach to go for a picnic or something.

5. Some basic freestyle is pretty fun. I don&#39;t do anything fancy, but it&#39;s fun to sail backwinded and do weird tacks and stuff.

Cheers,

10th February 2007 03:46 AM

o2bnme

RE: A perfect day, every day..

I have continued to think about this because I think it is an interesting topic...

I agree, windsurfing as a sport has declined in part because, in the 80&#39;s and 90&#39;s, people became wind snobs (me included). I&#39;m finding I still enjoy my Windsurfer Classic. I imagine I would also enjoy a newer longboard option too. I am very excited to see how the sport evolves when more people start to realize they can have fun in light winds.

I have been thinking about the other sports I enjoy and how they compare, in my mind, to windsurfing..

Waterskiing - I only ski at 5-7am when in Maine. I&#39;ll pull out my wakeboard or go barefoot during the day if the conditions are good, but usually I get enough AM ski time to last me the whole day. I go to a ski school in North Carolina to ski after work a couple times each week during the Spring and Fall. Weather only plays a small role in my decision to ski -- when it rains, I sit it out. From April into October, I expect to ski a considerable amount. No matter where I waterski, I need to be able to find others to go with me -- this is where I get frustrated... seeing good water but not having a driver. While my wife can&#39;t drive a skiboat, she does enjoy going out and skiing, so it becomes a family affair.

Volleyball - I only play when I can find a good group that is in a decent league. When this happens, I play once per week for 10-12 weeks. Weather plays no role, but I never expect to play more than once per week and never for the entire year. (I haven&#39;t played in years, but might try to find a team for the fun of it because of this discussion.)

Swimming - purely done for exercise. I find very little enjoyment in the act of swimming but do enjoy the results (more energy, ready to go out windsurfing in the Spring).

Snowboarding - this is a sport based on opportunity alone. I rarely actually go on a trip to snowboard (or snowski). I find it difficult to pay hundreds of dollars to ski a few days, so I rarely go. I&#39;d rather put the money into more windsurfing gear or a new waterski. ;-)

Windsurfing - I watch the weather forecast looking for a good opportunity to sail. When in North Carolina, I can massage my calendar to give me an hour or two on an epic day during the week 50% of the time. On a weekend, I&#39;ll go sailing with my wife when light winds are forecast (longboard day for me). Being in North Carolina, I can sail in the winter (5 times so far in 2007). I&#39;ve been able to get out enough to keep my stoke. When in Maine, in the summers, again, because of my work flexibility, I can manage to get a 30 minute to 1-hour sail in between conference calls. And, of course, I can sail after work.

Windsurfing is the sport that is the most enjoyable for me and is the most flexible. I have very little dependency on other people (no kids) or the weather. Sure, I enjoy planing more than playing around on a longboard, but I do enjoy both for different reasons. But what this (lengthy) response has highlighted for me is that I actually think windsurfing is more flexible of a sport for me.

But, others&#39; mileage will vary. I live 20-25 minutes from the lake in NC and am on the water in Maine. My trailer is always ready to be hooked up, so I never have to &#39;pack the rack.&#39; This makes a big difference. And on top of that, I have flexibility at work.

SteveC, I guess I&#39;m supporting your statement that the people who stick with windsurfing are the ones who can work it into their lives. ;-) Another reason people stick with it is family involvement. I learned because my parents both windsurfed (on Windsurfer Classics). I kept at it because I liked it but also because my father and I would go for roadtrips to sail together.

This has been an interesting exercise for me. I&#39;d be curious to see what goes through others&#39; minds when they think about the different sports/hobbies they do. I hope I didn&#39;t hijack the thread too much.

10th February 2007 01:44 AM

Per

RE: A perfect day, every day..

Agree...
If I had 5.75m S-type 115 weather every day of the year I would probably run out of ideas.. I like the Aero 127 7.5m days too or the 4.7 maxed out.... The variety is very important. Anyway I don&#39;t think I??m on a one out of three days being a success rate yet. Not many sports would survive this. Imagine a football player only hitting the ball every third time he went training...
Anyway a lot of creativity has been put into developement of the equipment during the last six years. Imagine the future: a 140 litre 85 cm wide wave board planing and jumping in 8 knots of wind with a five batten light weight 9.2m sail... Or seriousely light wind planing on a 8.5 sail and an ultra light board...B)
Maybe the new Star board paddle hybrid mentioned elsewhere is a new and fun challenge for the very light stuff...

10th February 2007 12:53 AM

steveC

RE: A perfect day, every day..

A dependence on nature&#39;s cooperation is our fate in windsurfing. Before windsurfing, it was surfing, yet I was still subject to a very similar fate, only in a different way. However, despite the uncertainy and frustration that dooms us all on occasion, there are those times when things are so perfect and satisfying. Because things aren&#39;t that predictable, I feel it&#39;s one of those key things that makes windsurfing so special. I know this sounds a little crazy, because most of us dream of getting it on demand. Yet, the unpredictable and varied nature of the sport provides the challenge and variety that helps keep us focused. If windsurfing was like a routine day in and day out, I don&#39;t think that it would be the same. I can say this though, not everyone is able to find happiness with the uncertainy and lack of dependability. Folks who like things to be in accordance with a schedule usually don&#39;t last very long in the windsurfing scene. Over the years I&#39;ve seen many folks exit the sport for this reason. In reality, that&#39;s why windsurfing has downsized to a core level which is ultimately determined by those dedicated and continuing participants.

What I find interesting about where we are at in today&#39;s picture is that the creative focus of the industry is so energized. This has fostered a stronger base where the nature of windsurfing can be more broadly based to appeal to more folks. While many of us have drawn lines of interest with certain prerequistes, others see things differently and they can leverage successfully off a different view of things. Where not to long ago, I was kind of closed to the thought of subplaning conditions, I&#39;m finding that I&#39;m beginning to see a real opportunity in this direction. I think that in 2007 and onward into 2008, that many of us will see a growth and maturity in light wind concepts that will be hard to ignore. I know that I&#39;m not alone in this thought.

9th February 2007 10:36 PM

o2bnme

RE: A perfect day, every day..

I guess, for me, I&#39;m happy with my time of the water if I set my expectations for the day.

If I decide that I&#39;ll only be happy if I&#39;m on my 91L board flying across the lake wishing I had a helmet on, but the wind never materializes, then I&#39;ll leave frustrated.

If I decide that I want to test the low-wind limits of my high-wind gear, then I&#39;ll leave happy.

9th February 2007 09:58 PM

Per

RE: A perfect day, every day..

Did anybody try the Hybrids? Exocet Kona? Serenity? And get a (real) kick from it?
Does it make sense to go longboarding in 4 knots and a little swell if you fancy to blast on smaller boards

7th February 2007 08:06 PM

Per

A perfect day, every day..

Okay, you may know this situation.
It&#39;s been blowing a perfect wind for the last four days. You didn&#39;t have the time to go and do what you love, because of job, family, painting the house and more. Saturday seems a possibility. At least for three hours. And the wind seems to almost still blow by then.
Well almost... As you get to your spot rig your medium sized sail, go schlogging for half an hour, rig up again, get on a plane a little and then the wind drops and it&#39;s over.
You pack the rack and take your one hour drive back again. The next day is one of the best days of the year for windsurfing and you sit there, at grandmas 85 yrs birthday party watching the wind blowing in the trees outside... YOU&#39;RE TRAPPED AGAIN.....

When I did kickboxing I could deside to go every tuesday and thursday at a given time and practice for two hours. No deal, ok fun, but very far from the kick(!) you get by windsurfing..
As everyday persons with a passion for windsurfing it&#39;s very often more waiting than practicing to be in the sport...

What is the key to break this....???...
I&#39;ve tried formula: lots of planing, but static, not loose and expensive.. I&#39;ve tried Carves, S-types, Aeros, longboards etc. and they&#39;re all very nice in their own niche... WHEN YOU HIT THAT RARE WINDY SATURDAY WHERE YOU HAVE THE TIME....

What is the code to say: I&#39; will go windsurfing when I have the time and I will return three hours later with a smile on my face no matter the conditions....